Small Mobile Home Guest Room Makeover

Chuck is not a stranger to Mobile Home Living. He’s been kind enough to share his remodeling projects with us over the last few months. First, his jaw-dropping mobile home kitchen upgrade provided inspiration to many of our readers. Next, Chuck wowed us with his mobile home bathroom remodel. This time he is giving us ideas for a mobile home guest room makeover using a Murphy Bed (that just happens to be custom-built).

We love Chuck’s can-do attitude and positivity! He isn’t scared to get his hands dirty, that’s for sure.

The Project: The goal of this mobile home guest room makeover was to create an inviting and comfortable retreat for our guests that was highly functional for us, too.

We wanted to give guests enough room to unpack their suitcases while also keeping the closet space for all our boxes of Christmas decorations. We also needed the space to work double time as a craft and sewing room when needed.

Here’s what the mobile home guest bedroom looked like before Chuck got ahold of it:

Paneling was a standard in 80’s mobile homes.

Chuck sketched out his idea on paper and started taking measurements of the space:

Chuck’s conceptual design for his custom-built Murphy Bed.

To make the small space work as a storage space, crafting room, and comfortable guest bedroom Chuck needed to get creative. He designed a custom-built Murphy Bed that could be raised out of the way when the bed wasn’t needed. He went a step further by building a table into the Murphy Bed!

What is a Murphy Bed?

Did you know that Murphy beds have been around since the late 19th century? An inventor by the name of William Murphy designed the bed to allow him to hide it so that he could transform his one-room apartment from a bedroom to a living room while he was courting his future bride.

Chuck’s Interview

Proudest DIY moment: Designing and building the Murphy bed from scratch and have the first guest comment on the comfort of sleeping (even though I was admittedly a bit worried that the bed would rise back into the wall while they slept…. Just joking!).

The last room in the house is done but now several neighbors would like me to consider building the same in their extra room. We think Chuck’s Crafty Creations is a good name for a business!

Biggest challenge: Attempting to keep the cost of the project under control – we repaired and painted the original paneling and just wallpapered the top portion to add color.

Favorite room in the home: The guest room is near the top of my list of favorite rooms because now we have a nice place for guests to stay.

Chuck made sure the room could handle his adventurous ideas by laying new subfloor down. This kept the bed’s framing straight so the mechanisms would work properly.

Flooring was updated as well.

Here’s the room in between paint layers. The glue that mobile home builders used to adhere mirrors onto walls has to be the original Gorilla Glue!

Not easy to get all that glue off.

Once the paint was dry, Chuck built small closets on both sides of the Murphy bed.

Closets were added on either side of the Murphy bed space.

Here you can see the design of the Murphy Bed (or Chuck Bed). The shelving on both sides, along with the closets create the pocket the bed sets in while in the up position.

The guests were pleasantly surprised with how comfortable the bed was.

Chuck’s design is far more than just a bed. He created a hinged desk that can be lowered easily. You’d never know there was a built-in desk included in the built-in bed! The base of the table (or leg) is trimmed out to match the trim on the bed.

The bed’s ‘feet’ can be used as a shelf in the up position, too. This is such a well-thought-out design! There’s not an inch of wasted space here.

Cool idea to add the table to use as a crafting space.

Chuck’s Final Thoughts

Any tips or tricks you learned during the project: If you have a home with good bones you can overcome any problems with some thought and advanced planning. Planning really pays off when unexpected problems pop up and they will.

Always use a good primer before you apply the finished color. And, never ever glue a glass mirror to the paneled walls, that is why they sell hooks and hangers!

Murphy Beds are Expensive but You Can Build Your Own

You can follow Chuck’s lead and build a Murphy bed from scratch or if you aren’t quite as handy, you can buy one from one of the many retailers that offer them. Be forewarned, they are extremely expensive!

Although pricier than a traditional bed they are a great choice if you are looking to make the most of those smaller spaces.

Build Your Own Murphy Bed

Murphy beds are a wonderful way to make the most of those small spaces in a mobile home and you can build your own custom Murphy Bed for less than $500 using a kit from Amazon.

Traditional Style Murphy Bed DIY Instructions

If you want your Murphy Bed to have a more traditional style this is the perfect set of instructions. You will spend a little more money on the higher quality materials but the end result is stunning.

Murphy beds are a great way to utilize space in a small home. You can create or buy any style and any size you need to fit your space perfectly. Do you have a Murphy Bed? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

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